


All kids grow

by ShadowsintheClouds (orphan_account)



Category: Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty
Genre: Dad!Rick, F/M, Family, Latino Rick, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, all the poor guy wants is love, back story, grandpa rick, lots of drinking and swearing, no incest it's gross, stanchez
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 10:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12130722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ShadowsintheClouds
Summary: Rick just wanted to live his damn life. He wanted to adventure with his grandson and drink away his problems. So this is what he did, at least until a Rick from another dimension drops a surprise for him in his garage. Now Rick has to learn to live with his fucked up life and his messed up past.





	1. All things change

Rick had been a very sad man for a very long time. He couldn't really pinpoint the exact moment he realized that his life was fucked up. He just knew it was. Which was why he was currently sitting at his desk in the garage nursing a mug filled with vodka at 3 in the morning. This wasn't too out of the ordinary for Rick. He was so messed up in the head that he didn't even want to think about it anymore. He had seen and done too much to try and feel things. He grew up poor and bullied, he grew dependant on drugs and alcohol when he was still in his band, shit he even left his wife and kid to go fight in a galactic war. Rick had lost his feelings long ago. So Rick Sanchez sat there in the garage getting steadily drunker while his family slept. Man had he messed up big this time. Sure he had single-handedly destroyed the galactic government and obliterated the citadel of Ricks all in one go, but his daughter was also getting a divorce. Now Rick never once liked Jerry Smith. He was mediocre and as stupid as they come in his opinion. He had messed up his daughter's life when it didn't need to be more messed up. But still, Beth was his daughter and he loved her with all his drug damaged heart. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted his grandkids to have a father in their life. He would never admit any of this out loud so he took to binge drinking at 3 in the god damn morning. 

Rick continued his drinking and numbing until he saw a flash of green light. Rick turned his head and saw black spots fill his vision. It took him a few seconds for him to regain his vision when he realized that the green light was emanating from a portal and a younger version of himself. 

"What do you want asshole?" shouted Rick. The young Rick looked at him with eyes full of hurt and pain. 

"My reality is destroyed. My family is dead and I can't go on anymore."

"How can you call yourself a Rick with that attitude. Ricks don't feel. We *uurrpp* drink it all away and give up on caring"

"That may be true of most Ricks, but I for one and not like you guys. Look, man, I need help. My days are numbered and if I take him back so are his." It was then when Rick noticed the bundle of blue fabric in the younger Rick's arms. "He's yours now. Don't fuck this up." And with that, the younger Rick thrust the bundle into Ricks' arms and left through the portal. 

Rick looked down at the bundle. He was absolutely confused. What the hell had just happened. Rick looked down at the bundle in his arms and took a closer look. Instantly his eyes welled with tears. In the bundle was a little baby boy. A little baby boy who looked an awful lot like Rick. He was sound asleep and completely unaware of what was going on. This realization was way too much for Rick, who broke out in sobs. In Rick's home universe his wife had lost their second child. It was devastating and part of the reason why Rick left in the first place. Now Rick was here sitting slumped in a corner in the garage crying his eyes out while this tiny human slept in his arms. Unfortunately, Rick was unaware of how loud the altercation with the young Rick and all his crying was. He had unknowingly woken up his grandson. Morty was standing in the doorway to the garage. The soft light from the kitchen casting a glow in the dark space. 

"Uh jeez, Grandpa Rick, are you ok?" Rick didn't even answer. He just kept crying and hugged the blankest closer to his chest. Morty had no idea what was going on. He had never seen Rick have a breakdown like this. Morty stood there for a second then ran back inside to wake up his mom. She might know what to do. Morty ran up the stairs into his mother's room. 

"Mom, wake up." Morty shook her in an attempt to wake up his mom. "Mom, Grandpa Rick need help. Mom, wake up" Beth groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She was greeted by the worried look of her son. Beth slowly sat up and looked her son in the eyes.

"What's going on this time?" she asked groggily 

"I don't know. He's crying super loud in the garage holding this bundle of blankets."

"Fine, I'll see what's going on." Beth slid out of bed and allowed her son to lead her to the garage. When Morty opened the door she was greeted by the sound of her father's voice. It was cracking like he had been crying. It sounded like he was singing a lullaby. The same Spanish one that he used to sing to her. Morty stayed in the door looking awkward. Beth walked over and crouched down in front of her father. Rick didn't look up, but he acknowledged that his daughter was there.

"Dad, whats going on? Is everything alright?' Rick moved his one hand that was currently not completely supporting the bundle and grabbed his daughter's hand. He raised his head and Beth was able to see how red his eyes were. 

"The world likes to mess with your old man sweetie. The universe has a sick and twisted sense of humor." Rick cracked a broken smile. The bundle made a sound of protest at the loss of the nice singing. Rick held it closer and made some sushing sounds. 

"Dad, whats going on? Whats in the blankets." Tears reappeared in Ricks' eyes as he looked up at Beth. 

"This is your brother. This is why I left. I'm sorry Beth. I'm so so sorry." Now Rick Sanchez of Earth dimension C-137 was not a man for extream public displays of emotion but in this moment he looked like a broken man. Beth looked at her father in shock. She wanted to know more but she knew her father was no condition to talk. He just looked so sad. There wasn't much she could do for her father at the moment, but she could help out the baby in his arms. 

"Morty, can you wake up your sister and run down to the corner store. We need some infant diapers and formula. Can you do that for me?" Morty nodded and left to wake up Summer. Beth sat down beside Rick and looked at the baby he was holding. He sure did look like Rick. There was the smallest tuft of bluish blond hair peeking out from the blankets. His nose and eye shape was all Rick, but his eye colour. His eyes were Diane's. A lovely green like Beth's own eyes. There was no mistaking who this kids parents' were. Beth had so many questions that needed answers, but she knew she had to wait till her father was a little more stable. So Beth just sat there against her father offering comfort. When the kids got back they brought the baby supplies to their mother and sat down next to Rick. The family sat there till dawn. By then Rick had managed to calm down and the baby had fallen back asleep. 

"Dad, we should go inside. It's much warmer in there." Morty and Summer stood up and made their way to the living room. Beth helped Rick up and they too made their way to the living room. Once everyone was seated, Rick looked up from the baby to look at the rest of his family. 

"Well," he sighed "I suppose you guys have questions." 

"Dad, what exactly is going on? You wake us all up in the middle of the night having a breakdown and you suddenly have this baby who you said is my brother."

"It's a really complicated story. The short version is that an alternate version of myself gave me the baby to take care of because he was going to die. The long story starts even before you were born Beth." Rick looked down at the baby while Beth and the kids looked a bit shocked. Well, Beth and Summer did. Morty was used to the unusual and strange at this point. He was more concerned about his grandfather's mental state. He had never seen the man break down like that. Everyone was silent for a little bit until Morty broke the peace. 

"Um, what's the baby's name?" It was an innocent question but one that stumped Rick for a moment. 

"Ricardo. Ricardo Emilio Sanchez Jr." Rick said with conviction. Rick sure was a vain man naming this poor kid after himself. 

"Dad, please tell me what's going on. I don't care how long it takes." Rick looked at his daughter. Was he really ready to open himself up? To accept help and to take responsibility for his actions? He really wasn't but the puppy dog eyes Beth was giving him broke is already disintegrating heart. Rick took a deep breath and looked down. 

"I guess everything started a long time ago, back when I was just a kid..."


	2. Tiny eyes loose life

Ricardo Emilio Sanchez was born on a hot summer day in Mexico City. His parents knew from the moment he was born that he would be an odd child. What kid is born with such an unnatural hair colour. From the moment he was 2 years old, Ricardo showed an above average aptitude for pretty much everything. His parents saw this and were extremely proud, but they always wanted more from him. From a young age, they tried to use their son's intelligence for their own gain. You see, the Sanchez family was dirt poor. They lived in the slums with very little. Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez would use their young child to make things out of practically nothing. Ricardo's father would drown himself in cheap booze bought on some shady corner. His mother would push him to his limit. By the time little Ricardo Sanchez was 10 years old he was making marvelous inventions. Little things to help others. For a child who had felt no love for a very long time, he sure did like to help others. But this kindness wouldn't last long. When Ricardo was 11 years old his world was turned upside down. 

"Ricardo, come here child." his father bellowed from the living room. Rick went downstairs and sat on the cement floor in front of his parents.

"Ricardo, we have been saving money for a while now and are moving to America in 2 weeks." It was very blunt. Just like the man himself. 

Soon the Sanchez family had packed up their meager possessions and moved to the midwest. Now Ricardo, being the genius he was, picked up English relatively quickly. This made him the default translator in the family. He did all of his school registration and the families immigration paperwork all by himself. The poor kid was mostly left to his own devices while his father looked for a job and he got ready for the new school. His mother was often absent. Ricardo never knew where she was, but she would come home late with strange marks on her neck. School rolled around and little Ricardo was about to enter grade 6. The poor kid had never been to school before and had no idea what to expect.  
***  
"You used to make things for people Grandpa?" asked Summer

"Course I did s-s-s-Summer. What else was I supposed to do for money? Sell myself?" Summer looked a bit uncomfortable and lowered her gaze to her brand new, expensive shoes. Nice new shoes her grandpa could probably only dream of having when he was young. Summer felt a bit ashamed at how she had taken some simple things for granted. 

"Now if you assholes will let me get back, this is hard enough without you guys interrupting.  
***  
Little Ricardo Sanchez walked into his first day at St. Sebastien Middle School with gusto. He wanted the other kids to know that he was not to be messed with. He was here to learn and grow and no snot-nosed middle schooler was going to stop him. He had his timetable in hand and his backpack packed with new notebooks and pencils. It was a dream come true. Ricardo was on top of the world until he walked into first-period algebra with Mme. Glissade.

"Everyone we have a new student joining us today." announced the teacher "Would you like to come up to the front and introduce yourself." The teacher beckoned Ricardo up to the front while the rest of the class looked on with intense judgment. Ricardo walked up to the front of the class wringing his hands together. 

"Um... Hola, my name is r-r-r-Ricardo Sanchez." The class glared at him. He was different. Very different. He was easily the darkest person in the room. Now racial segregation in public school systems had very recently been abolished in the USA, but having it completely implemented was a different story. 

"Ricardo, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself," demanded Mme. Glissade

"Um... well... I just moved here from Mexico City, and uh... I build robots for fun." The class looked at him like he was a fool. What kind of kid builds robots for fun? They were probably really dinky ones using a potato battery. The class looked at him like a piece of meat. This scrawny kid was going to be their newest target that was for sure. Ricardo sat down while their teacher began to lecture them on basic math that Ricardo understood years ago. The young boy sat at his desk and began doodling in his notebook. He was drawing schematics for a spaceship. Ricardo always dreamt of going to the stars. There must be so much out there to explore and he wanted to see it all. Ricardo was happily doodling away when the bell rang. The boy packed up his notes and made his way to his next class, science. The class was the same as algebra. He introduced himself to the class and proceeded to doodle in his notebook while the class talked about very basic science. He knew all this. Did the school think he was stupid? Ricardo decided to raise his hand and question this. 

"Um... excuse me, Mr. Austen, do y-y-you think we could learn about something more important, like quantum physics?" The class all turned to look at him. What was up with this kid? 

"Mr. Sanchez, I can guarantee you right now that you can not possibly have any understanding of the concept. I also see that you have not taken a single note. So explain to me how you can understand quantum physics if you refuse to take notes on the subject at hand?"

"I already know this stuff. I want to learn new things. Isn't that what school is about, learning new things?" Mr. Austen glared at him.

"Well Mr. Sanchez, if you're so smart answer these questions for me. What is the lowest functioning unit of life?"

"The cell." Ricardo parroted back

"Ok, tell me the first law of thermodynamics." 

"When the total energy of an isolated system is constant, energy can be converted from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed." Mr. Austen did not look that pleased. 

"Well Sanchez, last question. What is a double helix and who discovered it?" The teacher had a smug look on his face. There was no way this poor boy from Mexico could know about such a new discovery. Ricardo looked deep in thought as Mr. Austen walked away laughing. 

"A double helix is the shape DNA takes and it was discovered by Rosalind Frankin but Watson and Crick published her picture and got the credit because they're men." Mr. Austen swiveled around and stared at the boy. He was too smart and too cocky and he was not going to have any of that. He took Ricardo to his desk and proceeded to hit the boy with a yardstick for his insolence. Ricardo was not happy. The rest of the day wasn't much better. Ricardo had his meager lunch taken by bullies and was beaten up on the playground. And that's how middle school continued. Along the way, he started to be asked to be called Rick in order to seem cooler and less foreign. Rick began to fight back against his bullies with fists of steel, but the poor kid still got his ass kicked day in and out. When he was in 8th grade his mother was killed in an alley. Rick didn't care that much. He knew she was going to be happier dead. She never really loved him anyway. His father didn't make things much better. Rick was more often than not beaten by the man for not being perfect and for always getting into trouble at school. Rick would spend his nights reading stolen textbooks and his weekends stealing supplies for a spaceship. Little did Rick know that his life would change dramatically.  
***  
"So I was about Morty's age when shit really hit the fan."

"What happened, dad?"

"Well, you see..." Rick was interrupted by a very upset sounding cry. Baby Ricardo had woken up from his slumber and was more than ready for a snack. So he did what all babies do. He cried. 

"Oh shit. Um, Beth sweetie, would you mind getting me some of that formula. Beth passed Rick a bottle and he began to feed the hungry infant. 

"I guess here seems like a logical s-s-stopping point. I'm gunna lay down for a bit, take care of the baby and all that." Rick looked exhausted and the family could agree that he really needed to rest for a bit after a night of heavy drinking. They let the man go with a promise to continue. Rick walked up to his room and sat down on the bed. He was surrounded by horrible memories that would not leave him alone. He wanted to drown himself in cheap booze but couldn't due to the infant in his arms. Rick looked into the babies bright green eyes. His own brown ones swam with tears. Rick Sanchez didn't have a whole lot of stuff to live for. Really it was just Beth, Morty, and Summer, and they could take care of themselves. Now he had to try to keep himself alive for his son. He was 70 years old now. He wasn't prepared to take care of a kid, but man was he ready to try his hardest not to fuck this one up too much.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked the first chapter. This takes place after episode 301 if you haven't figured it out. I have this amazing backstory planned and I hope you all like it. Check my Tumblr lupinthealchemist for updates.


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